Israel and Morocco agree to build an aeronautics and AI innovation center
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the International University of Rabat in Morocco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the goal of building a research center for aeronautics and artificial intelligence in Morocco.
The signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence in Aeronautics and Artificial Intelligence took place at the Moroccan university on Monday.
The Jewish state and Morocco established full diplomatic ties in 2020 as part of the U.S.-led Abraham Accords. Since then, the two nations have developed close commercial, diplomatic, scientific, cultural and military ties.
Amir Peretz, former Israeli Defense Minister and current IAI Chairman of the Board, stressed the importance of the planned innovation center for Morocco’s future development.
“This innovative institution is a sign of a new future being forged in Morocco for both present and future generations. The most vital mission is now to transform a dream into reality by establishing a program that will combine high-quality education across various fields, with a special emphasis on science and technology,” said Peretz.
“By establishing the necessary industrial infrastructure, it will be possible to recruit new graduate students. Looking into the students’ eyes, I can see their strong determination to succeed in this new center, bringing forth ideas which hopefully will serve not only Morocco and Israel, but also the entire world,” concluded Peretz.
Founder and President of the University of Rabat, Prof. Noureddine Mouaddib, said the innovation agreement with Israel’s aerospace corporation is aligned with Morocco’s vision for the future.
“This initiative is totally in line with the strategy and vision chosen by our ministries and leadership,” Mouaddib said.
Jews of Moroccan origin have become an important bridge between the two countries. While the remaining Jewish community in Morocco is small, today there are hundreds of thousands of Israelis with Moroccan Jewish origins, including Peretz himself, who was born in the Moroccan city of Boujad.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
